“Best start in 10 years” for Darwin mango season

The 2017 Darwin mango season is off to its best start in 10 years, according to Tim Elliott, who manages the packing shed where Mr KP Mangoes are packed, in a recent interview with ABC Rural:

On the season’s timing:

“It was an early start to the season, we started packing in July and we have about a third of our crop out and we are only coming into mid-September.”

On quality:

“The fruit has been amazing this year. We have had dry conditions so the fruit has ripened up nicely. It is quite clean.

“It’s been an exceptional year — as good as I have seen it in the last 10 years.”

On volumes:

“We have… [been packing up to 200 bins per day] constantly for the last few weeks, which is great for the workforce, the transport and the box companies to have a nice steady flow [of work], not like last year when we had the season happen in about three weeks.

“This year we will have the season over 12 weeks, so it’s great for market forces, pricing, everybody.”

On a record-breaking season:

“I have been doing this for 15 years and there is always a nightmare about to raise its head and all you do is feel like a fireman putting out spot fires all the time.”

“This year I am searching and I can’t find any.

“This [season] will definitely go in the record books.”

Read the full article: Written by Daniel Fitzgerald for NT Country Hour, available via ABC Rural.